My Kindle Stuff

Stuff for the Kindle lover in your life (doesn’t exclude buying stuff for yourself )

1. New Kindle – good gift for your Kindle 1 friends, or DX friends who want more portability. Also good for those relatives and friends thinking about an eReader and either won’t be getting one before Xmas or don’t realize how much more expensive their books will be if they go with another (gasp!) vendor.
2. Kindle Kits – These are really cool.  There are car Kits, cleaning kits, International Kits, etc.  I may be picking up one of these because I’m using a combo of iPod connections and messy USB stuff in my car.  I also want an extra power cord for my car so I always have one on-the-road while leaving one at home.
3. Kindle Covers & Cases – Okay, I admit, I have about 4 covers for a single Kindle.  I have the Amazon one which is kinda yucky but gets the job done.  I have a M-edge GO! cover just because, a M-edge Prodigy cover cause it also holds the booklight; its my day-to-day cover and will soon get a replacement as I have gotten it super grimy due to a coffee spill.  I also have a Kroo cover that fit my Kindle 1 and Kindle 2.  I think I’ll be sticking to
   M-edge, but if you’re going for beauty, take a look at the Oberon covers (they get rave reviews on Kindleboards).  There are also a lot of cases and purse-like Kindle covers.  This one may be tricky as gifts. I got my sister and daughter skins and covers, but could just as easily have bombed on the colors combos.
4. Kindle Accessories – Take a look here for accessory options and don’t forget my ‘must haves’ for Kindle list. There are a lot of accessories for the Kindle, I think the only one that I really need, but don’t have is an extra power cord. I know, not very sexy, but it would be a great gift since I don’t have one. If you have a Kindle/iPhone friend, the izel stand is a winner. If your Kindler does audiobooks–grab some headphones or if your Kindler travels or just reads everywhere, the M-edge cover with the addition of their booklight is an awesome gift. Do NOT forget to head over to DecalGirl or GelaSkins for Kindle skins.  DecalGirl’s skins fit around ach key on the Kindle keyboard, Gelaskins has a rectangular space around the keyboard (which leaves a lot of white space) either is a good option and I’ve used both (you can see them in my must haves link above). I do have to say that DecalGirl seems to ship faster, but they both offer Gift Certs as well.
5. Gift Certificates – You really can’t go wrong with these. Trust me, if you’re not sure what to get, a big fat Gift card is appreciated by everyone. Amazon GC are available in stores, and online. You can email, snail-mail or just give em away. Unfortunately, they also are the only way to ‘gift’ Kindle books. Amazon has a new Kindle graphic
   gift certificate which I really hope is just a prelude to actually being able to gift a book one day.

Like the Amazon Kindle Cover but want some color?  Hate how the Kindle flaps inside its cover?  Try the new M-edge GO! Jacket for Kindle 2.  They feature the same slim design and hinge mount system as the Amazon covers but come in color.  They also have the added feature of corner security so your Kindle doesn’t flap on the hinge.  All GO! covers are genuine leather and offer the same low profile as the Amazon cover.

M-edge GO! Jacket for Kindle 2 (Genuine Leather–Pebbled Fuchsia)

M-edge GO! Jacket for Kindle 2 (Genuine Leather–Marbled Red)

M-edge GO! Jacket for Kindle 2 (Genuine Leather–Smooth Mocha)

M-edge GO! Jacket for Kindle 2 (Genuine Leather–Marbled Red)

M-edge GO! Jacket for Kindle 2 (Genuine Leather–Pebbled Black)

M-edge Go! Cover colors

With some minor configuration, either Kindle version will deliver so much satisfaction you won’t go back to dead-tree books.  Kindle users have prompted a small flood of 3rd party accessories. Quickly replacing the poorly designed Kindle 1 (Kindle Klassic) cover seems to be the most popular, with skins, memory cards and carrying cases coming in close seconds. I’m not too keen on the skins for the K2, as so far they are only on the back of the device, and Amazon realized the mistake they made on the previous cover since the K2 comes bare. 

In addition, free ebook websites are everywhere.  You can read many  classics when you have blown your book budget for the month, or dive into an extensive list of blogs.

 Maximization!

 Amazon content

You can browse and download books from Amazon to your hearts content.  The easiest books to find are from the various bestseller lists.  I’m not the biggest fan of searching on Amazon, its too hard to really nail down a focused search although the browsing is great.  Serious book browsers can take a look at some of my ‘pre-searched‘ lists.  I have links to Amazon Books by category , Amazon Free Books by category, and Amazon’s entire list of Book Bundles – these are great deals as you can pick up multiple books for a price lower than the individual purchase price.  I also have a link to what I’m calling the 99 cent store; the link connects to a custom search that lists all books for $.99, one for Fiction and one for Non-Fiction.

 Non-Amazon Content

I have a list of various ebook sellers if you want to try your hand at book conversion for your Kindle.  The list is by no means exhaustive, just the ones that I use regularly, and I also have links to some free ebook sites.  A section on conversion will be added later as this is something that I do regularly.

 One of the best free book sites is feedbooks.com.  This a the site that will also allow you to use the Kindle’s wireless service to download free books, but even better, to read your blogs free of charge.  To those that ask “Aren’t blogs free?”, note that if you subscribe via Amazon, there is a charge.  You can access their site on your Kindle where  they have a complete How-To guide on using their site and adding content.  Yeah, Feedbooks is an awesome site!  If you find any non-Amazon sites that allow you to utilize the Whispernet, let me know.

 Other Kindle Must-Haves

Cover – Most ‘hard’ covers will do while you are carrying your Kindle where there’s a possibility of smash-age.  You don’t want to crack your screen.  I also use a soft neoprene cover for daily use when carrying in my purse.  

 Book light – I use my book light to read in bed and on hot nights outside, but it’s meant for any low-light setting.  My Review is here.   

Waterproof cover – If you travel and will be around water, sand or a lot of dirt, get one of these as well.  Many folks use a zip-loc bag, but I wanted a cover that was certified waterproof.  Here’s the one I got.

SD Card (K1 only) – If you want to keep large content on the K1 and have the ability to swap out, grab and SD card.  I also use it to keep reference books that I don’t necessarily use all the time.

For Fun

I also use a skin on my K1.  Your Kindle will look great and reflect its own personality when wearing a skin in a matching cover.

My Kindle 1 in Olga DecalGirl skin, Olga screensaver and M-edge cover